But Berks County Commissioners Chairman Christian Y. Leinbach said following the budget meeting that he expected the board could vote on the issue within the next month.

The dire forecast was presented after County CFO Bob Patrizio reran the projections following a state budget that showed no increases in Medicaid funding. The news comes as commissioners are already grappling with an estimated $4.1 million budgetary shortfall, which will require a 3 percent increase in property taxes to shore up.